ALBUM REVIEW: Razorblade Bay – Space Chaser
Germany’s SPACE CHASER made a minor splash back in 2021. After years of plugging away, they’d caught the eye of Metal Blade Records and their third album Give Us Life scored their highest chart positions to date. It led to appearances at a string of festivals (including Wacken Open Air), and things looked very promising indeed for the five piece. However, line-up changes and other factors resulted in a long delay before they could think about recording a follow-up. It’s taken until now for Razorblade Bay to arrive, and the question of whether they’ve missed the proverbial boat is hanging over it like an unwelcome house guest.
It doesn’t take long for one big, glaring difference to become apparent. Singer Siegfried Rudzynski has departed, guitarist Leo Leo Schacht has stepped up to handle vocals instead, and while he has a great voice, he isn’t trying to replicate his predecessor’s distinctive style. It’s a little jarring at first, but once your ear becomes accustomed, there’s a lot to enjoy. Leo Schacht sounds more like a traditional thrash vocalist where Rudzynski was reminiscent of classic NWOBHM singers, and his approach suits these pit anthems very well.
And make no mistake, this is mosh music. SPACE CHASER are thrashers who can’t be bothered with the more progressive side of the genre, and would much prefer to write fast, lively songs with an average run time of three minutes. Mind Melting Machine is a grin-inducing early highlight, designed to wreck necks and spill pints, while Blade Serpents is tightly written and highly focused. Due to the sci-fi themes, it’d be tempting to compare them to stuff like VOIVOD, but this is closer to Enter The Grave-era EVILE than anything off Dimension Hatröss.
It’s a comparatively brisk listen, clocking in at just over half an hour but somehow feeling shorter than that. The high-speed songwriting helps, with the whip-crack 8 Minutes being only a quarter of the length that its name suggests, and We Are The Night flashing by in a haze of solos and gang chants. Razorblade Bay is very easy to digest, and you can easily find yourself playing it multiple times in a single day.
SPACE CHASER are traditionalists at heart, and even if they’re not leading thrash into bold new dimensions, Razorblade Bay is a lot of fun. They aren’t as intense as some of their countrymen and could even be seen as a light-hearted alternative to the likes of SODOM. This is unlikely to change anyone’s perspective on heavy metal, but it is meat and potatoes genre fodder executed very well. Whether they’ll reclaim the momentum they had in 2021 remains to be seen, but if not, this is a welcome return from SPACE CHASER.
Rating: 7/10
Razorblade Bay is out now via Testimony Records.
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